All the Devils' hottest news, from notes to numbers to neutral-zone traps

Saturday, February 1, 2014

The Devils lead the Nashville Predators 2-1 in the third period of tonight's game at Bridgestone Arena.

Defenseman Anton Volchenkov left the game in the second period and has not returned. The Devils have not given up an update on him yet.

SECOND PERIODThe Predators received their first power play of the game when Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov was called for interference with Colin Wilson 2:10 into the second period. The Devils killed that off without yielding a shot on goal.

The Devils went on the power play for the second time when Colton Sissons was called for holding Steve Bernier at 5:56. The Devils couldn't get much going again on the man advantage, though, managing only one shot on Carter Hutton.

And Devils goaltender Cory Schneider had to come up big on a Gabriel Bourque's shot from the left circle on a shorthanded 2-on-1 at 7:21. Bourque's shot went off Schneider's left arm and glanced the outside of the right post.

The Devils tied it, though, on a goal from Patrik Elias at 13:00. Elias, who has has moved up to take Dainius Zubrus' spot on the top line with Travis Zajac and Jagr, took a pass from Jagr in the neutral zone and skated over the Predators' blue line before letting go a wrist shot from the top of the left circle that went in off goaltender Carter Hutton's catching glove. It was Elias' fourth goal in as many games and his 11th of the season.

Jagr gave the Devils their first lead of the night with 1:01 left in the second. Jagr circled out from behind the net into the right circle before turning and firing a shot on net that went in off Hutton's left pad on the short side.

That was Jagr's team-leading 17th goal of the season and the 698th of his career.

FIRST PERIODThe Predators grabbed the lead on a goal from defenseman Shea Weber 6:45 into the game. Devils goaltender Cory Schneider had only himself to blame as he gloved down a Mike Fisher dump-in and turned it over to Nashville's Patric Hornqvist in the trapezoid behind the net.

Schneider scrambled to get back in the net as Hornqvist fed Weber for a blast from the high slot that went in off the crossbar for Weber's 14th goal of the season.

Michael Ryder had a good chance for the Devils on a backhand from the left circle that went off goaltender Carter Hutton's left shoulder with 5:37 left in the first.

The Devils received the first power play of the night when Craig Smith was called for high sticking Andy Greene at 14:53. The Devils managed only one shot on goal during the man advantage -- Travis Zajac's deflection of Patrik Elias' one-timer from the right circle, which went off Hutton's right arm at 15:55.

The Predators outshot the Devils, 13-9, in the first period.

The shot on goal counter seems to be a bit generous here.

This is the final game of a three-game road trip for the Devils. They are 1-1-0 so far, losing 3-0 Tuesday night in St. Louis and winning 3-2 win overtime Thursday night in St. Louis.

Cory Schneider started his third consecutive game in net for the Devils and for ninth time in 12 games. Carter Hutton started in net for Nashville.

Left wing Dainius Zubrus is in the Devils' lineup after leaving Thursday's game with a bruised left leg from blocking a third period shot from Stars defenseman Trevor Daley.

Center Andrei Loktionov and left wing Mike Sislo (called up earlier today and wearing No. 9 again) also took warm-ups, but Sislo is a healthy scratch.Loktionov is centering a line with Patrik Elias and Damien Brunner on his wings.

Predators captain Shea Weber is playing after being questionable because of an upper-body injury.

About

TOM GULITTI has covered the New Jersey Devils for The Record since 2002. Prior to that, he covered the New York Rangers for four years. Gulitti joined The Record in 1998 after six years at The North Jersey Herald News. He graduated from Binghamton University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric-Literature.